What is kayaking?

Kayaking was first invented by the Inuit people thousands of years ago in the North Artic regions as a way to hunt, fish, and transport goods and people. It involves paddling a small boat across water using a double-bladed paddle (unlike canoeing, which uses a single-bladed paddle).

Today, kayaking is usually undertaken as a recreational activity. You can explore calm, quiet coves that can’t be accessed by foot or plummet down roaring whitewater. Although – having been an Olympic sport since the 1930s – it’s also done competitively in races and slaloms.

While ‘canoeing’ and ‘kayaking’ are often used interchangeably as a way to describe a sit-down paddlesport, the two are, in fact, quite different. Other than the paddles, which we’ve already mentioned, the main differences are in the technique and the vessels themselves.

Kayaks are generally more lightweight and nimble than canoes, and rowers tend to sit with their legs outstretched in front of them. In canoes, you generally sit down on small benches or kneel. Kayaks can also come in closed-top (meaning that to deck surrounds your lower half in order to keep the water out) or open-top varieties, while canoes are typically open-top.